Sherrill faces pressure from multiple scandals—NJ Top News
Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show.
🔗 Federal case puts new focus on NJ's voter registration issues
🗳️ Federal prosecutors say Mercedes Alexandra Cardoso voted in New Jersey's June 2024 primary.
⚖️ Cardoso claimed she was a U.S. citizen when she registered online to vote, authorities said.
🔎 The case comes as New Jersey faces scrutiny over thousands of noncitizens added to voter rolls.
A woman from Ecuador registered herself to vote online and cast a ballot illegally in the June 2024 primary in New Jersey, according to federal prosecutors.
On Friday, Mercedes Alexandra Cardoso was charged with voting by an alien in a federal election. She faces up to one year in prison if convicted on that count.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Cardoso lived in Union County at the time she cast her ballot, but she was not a U.S. citizen. Cardoso was in the state on a B-2 visa; the temporary nonimmigrant visa is only for foreign nationals traveling for pleasure, according to the U.S. Department of State.
Cardoso registered to vote online through the New Jersey Division of Elections Online Voter Registration System, according to federal prosecutors. She's accused of falsely indicating that she was a U.S. citizen on her voter registration form.
Cardoso's case is separate from the recent controversy involving thousands of noncitizens who were mistakenly registered to vote through the Motor Vehicle Commission. In the last seven weeks, New Jersey's voter registration process has come under extreme scrutiny.
🔗 Congress turns up the heat on Sherrill over NJ voter roll disaster
🗳️ Rep. Jeff Van Drew will hold a congressional hearing into the voter registration scandal involving roughly 6,600 people.
❓ Van Drew says Gov. Mikie Sherrill failed to answer questions he and other House Republicans submitted about the registration failure.
🏛️ It remains unclear whether Sherrill administration officials will testify at the Sept. 15 hearing.
New Jersey's voter registration scandal is headed to Washington.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew will convene a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing Sept. 15 to investigate how approximately 6,600 people who indicated they were not U.S. citizens were improperly registered to vote through New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission system.
Van Drew, R-N.J., chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, which has the power to call witnesses, request documents and issue subpoenas.
The hearing is titled "Restoring Election Integrity: Oversight of Voter Fraud in New Jersey."
Van Drew previously joined 17 other House Republicans in demanding answers from Gov. Mikie Sherrill about how the registration failure happened, why it went undetected and whether any state officials or contractors would be held accountable.
"How do you know this was just a software glitch and not a nefarious act?" Van Drew asked in his July letter, according to the New Jersey Globe.
Sherrill did respond to Van Drew, but did not directly answer the questions he submitted. Instead, she accused Republicans of politicizing the issue.
"Instead of answering those questions, Governor Sherrill responded with Democratic talking points, attacks on President Trump, and personal attacks against me," Van Drew told the Globe. "Her response was a political hit piece."
🔗 NJ scandal sparks new push to protect whistleblowers from powerful people
🔎 Assemblywoman Katie Brennan is calling for a thorough, independent investigation into allegations involving Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell.
⚖️ Brennan plans legislation aimed at protecting survivors and whistleblowers in government and political campaigns.
🏛️ The proposals revive reforms Brennan pushed after her own experience during Phil Murphy’s 2017 campaign.
The investigation into Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell is bringing Assemblywoman Katie Brennan back to an issue that has been intensely personal for her: what happens when someone reports alleged misconduct involving people in positions of power.
Brennan, a Jersey City Democrat, is calling for a thorough and independent investigation into allegations involving Caldwell and says she will introduce legislation designed to strengthen protections for survivors and whistleblowers.
“These are serious allegations that deserve a thorough and independent investigation,” Brennan said in a statement reported by the New Jersey Globe. “Anyone who uses the power of public office to mistreat the people around them has no business holding it.”
An investigation is already underway. Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration retained an outside legal team led by former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino to investigate allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women and possible ethics violations, including the purported offer of state jobs. Caldwell, who also serves as secretary of state, has not been accused of a crime.
While volunteering for Phil Murphy's 2017 gubernatorial campaign, Brennan accused senior campaign staffer Al Alvarez of sexually assaulting her. Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges. Brennan later became a prominent advocate for changing how government and political organizations respond to allegations of sexual misconduct.
🔗 Sherrill addresses Dale Caldwell investigation allegations
☑️ Gov. Mikie Sherrill has addressed allegations involving Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell
☑️ Sherrill did not mention Caldwell by name in her statement
☑️The GOP wants answers about the investigation and Caldwell's continued service.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill has finally addressed the allegations involving Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, but she did so without mentioning him by name.
Sherrill said Tuesday that she expects everyone in her administration to "hold themselves to the highest standards and put their obligations to public service first." She also said she takes reports of "inappropriate behavior or misconduct extremely seriously" and that any credible report must be fully examined and addressed.
The statement comes after the New Jersey Globe first reported allegations of inappropriate behavior with women and an offer of a state job involving Caldwell, who is also New Jersey's secretary of state. The Globe has reported that the investigation was launched by Sherrill's administration and is being led by former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino.
"If the evidence warrants, I will take appropriate action quickly," Sherrill said.
In her Tuesday statement Sherrill did not mention Caldwell by name or acknowledge any investigation.
🔗 New Jersey's 9/11 memorial unfinished as 25th anniversary arrives
✅NJ's Empty Sky memorial remains unfinished as the 25th anniversary approaches.
✅Families say names and long-promised repairs still need to be addressed.
✅The Gary Sinise Foundation is donating more than $40,000 to clean the memorial
New Jersey's official 9/11 memorial remains unfinished and in need of repairs with the 25th anniversary of the attacks fast approaching, raising questions about the state's plans to mark the occasion.
A year ago, Jessica Jamroz, the creator of the state's 9/11 memorial called Empty Sky, an eyesore. Not much has changed, including trees that need to be replaced, the completion of the face of the memorial with the words "never forget" on one side and "always in our hearts" on the other, and the replacement of lighting that was washed out by Superstorm Sandy.
There are also victim names that need to be added, along with the names of those who died at the site of the World Trade Center years after its collapse, according to Jamroz.
"The names on this memorial represent New Jersey's victims that died on the September 11th attacks. There has also been a call from those that are dying from 9/11-related illnesses to also be remembered on the state's official memorial. So that should be reviewed and considered," Jamroz said.
2026 9/11 Commemorations in New Jersey (listed alphabetically)
Gallery Credit: Dan Alexander
Biggest layoffs in New Jersey this year
Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt
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